Handbags



M. WHITE July 26, 1960 HANDBAGS Filed Oct. 16. 1958 lilla a 2,946,364 ce Patented July 26, 1960 HANDBAGS Morris White, 785 Park Ave., New York, N.Y.

Filed Oct. 16, 1958, Ser. No. 767,667

6 Claims. (Cl. ISU-28) The present invention relates to `l-adies handbags.

The solution of the diiiculty which gave rise to the present invention is the serious annoyance sufered by the user, the retailer and the manufacturer of handbags, due to the ripping out from the channel of the handbag frame in the course of use, of the body of the bag whether of fabric, leather or plastic. Regardless how tightly the channel of the conventional metal frame be clamped about the edge of the handbag fabric, the fabric will become severed from the frame in a not inconsiderable proportion of cases, especially when the bag is heavily loaded. This damage to the handbag leads to dissatisfaction of the user, return of the defective bag to the retailer, transmission of the bag by the retailer to the manufacturer for repair, and return of the repaired bag by way of the retailer to the user. The difficulty is a source of considerable expense and loss to the retailer and the manufacturer and of annoyance to the user.

lt is accordingly among the objects of the invention to provide a ladys handbag construction in which the edge of the handbag fabric is so securely retained in the channel structure of the metal frame, as to render the assembly substantially permanent, so that severance of the body of the bag from the frame in .use is substantially eliminated, with saving of many thousands of dollars to the handbag manufacturer for repairs and to the manufacturer and retailer for handling, delivery and records and thus avoiding also annoyance and ill-will on the part of the user.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown one or more of various embodiments of the several features of the invention:

Fig. 1 is ya perspective view of a ladys handbag in closed position,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the frame of the handbag as an article of manufacture, apart from the handbag,

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the handbag taken on line 3--3 of Fig. l, and

Fig. 4 is a View in transverse cross section on a greatly enlarged scale, showing the bonding connection between the frame andthe handbag.

Referring now to the drawings, the handbag is illustratively of a popular priced model, comprising a continuous blank of leather or plastic forming the side Walls and 11 and the connected bottom 112 of the two cornplementary sections of the bag. Each section of the bag has end walls 13 stitched respectively at 13a to the ends of the respective side walls 10 and 11 and bottom 12. The walls of the handbag may be of an outer ply 14 of leather or leather-like plastic or any suitable fabric and having a stiffener of one or more plies of paper board 15 and d6, and a liner 17 which may, if desired, be muslin-coated illustratively with a chamois-like finish. The interior of the bag m-ay be of any desired construction.

The frame of the bag is generally of the type involving a pair of metal channels 20 for the respective sections of lodged in the stiffener 15, 16 for a thoroughly effective the bag. The frame is preferably of sheet steel, U-shaped in transverse cross-section, each channel comprising a top section 21 and a pair of side sections 22 extending downward therefrom. The channel comprises an inner wall 23 and an outer wall 24. Each of the'channls has an extension 25 on its outer walls, whichV extensions are pivoted together as Vat 26. Rigid with the middle of the top section of the frame is a lfastening lug 27 and hingedly mounted to the corresponding section of the companion frame portion is a spring clasp 28 to coact with the fastening lug 27. The frame portion also has rigid therewith, preferably riveted thereto, transverse hinge tubes 29 for mounting the handle 30. l

The frame as thus far described is a typical conventional handbag construction.

Accordingto the invention, the inner side wall 23 of the U-shaped cross section of the frame is perforated at intervals by means of a' pointed punching tool with holes in the order of i732 inch in diameter Which, with the steel stock used (in the order of f1/32 inch-in thickness), cause the stock to form inwardly extending relatively rigid, hollow cylindrical indentations 31 that are sharp-edged as at 32 and of height desirably of 1%., to yu; inch. These indentations may be at intervals in the order of 2 inches along the entire length of the inner topsection 21 and the inner side wall 22 of the U-shaped cross-section of the entire length of each frame channel 20. Whilethe hollow circular indentations are in general preferred, it will be understood that these indentations might be oval, polygonal or of other shape.

The frame may be plated with suitable metal at its exposed surface or, alternatively, as indicated in the drawings, may be covered with plastic 'fabric or leather, 33 extending over the entireinner and outer Iface of the U-shaped frame 20, the edges of said covering 33 being turned inwardly as at 34 into the channel of the U-frame. Y 'j Y f l The bodyl of the bag structure, including its outer ply 1'4, its st-iifener 15, 16 and its liner 17, may be stapled toget-her for facility of introduction by Aaid of au appropriate jig into ythe channel of the yframe foreach section of the bag. The sides of the frame are then clenched together by an appropriate clamping tool so that the indentations 31 extending into vthe channel, penetrate the covering 33 if any, for the frame and dig into and become bond of the rim of the body with respect to the frame, but without engagement with or penetration of the outer fabric 14 of the bag.

The indentations are formed in the inner wall of the otherwise conventional handbag frame of U-'shaped crosssection by machine piercing operation 'with conically pointed, preferably cylindrical punches that pierce the :inner wall of the frame inwardly and thereby form the hollow indentations 31 in the form of a relatively rigid `cylindrical wall with a sharp inner edge .32. The punch Iis preferably of maximum diameter in the order of %2 inch and the consequent indentation of metal will be to a depth or height generally of %4 to 1A@ inch. Accordingly, when the frame is clenched Iabout the edge of the body, the sharp edge 32 of the indentations 31 will penetrate the liner 17, after penetrating the covering 33 (if any) of the frame, and the sharp entry edge 32 of each indentation 31 will partly penetrate into the stifener 15, 16 and become lodged therein, but the height of the indentation is such that it will not reach, penetrate or mutilate the cover ply 14 of the bag.

According to the present invention, there need be no departure from the conventional construction of the handbag or frame. All that is required according to the invention, is a single, simple, multiple punching operation of the conventional frame as above set forth which may be accomplished in a single punching stroke to form the indentations described.

Nor isnthere any Vdeparture in carrying outl the present invention, frm the conventional procedure of assembling the handbag'frarne to the body. The frame is simply clenched to the body in theY conventional manner. By that operation the relatively rigid, self-sustaining, hollow, sharp-edged indentations 31 suler'no distortion but become securely embedded in the edge of the handbag body, as above set forth.

By the present invention, the body of the bag becomes so securely bonded Vto the handbag frame that it cannot pull out in use, regardless how heavy the weight carried in the handbag or how roughly the bagv may be handled. In fact, on destruction tests, the fabric ofthe bag becomes torn before its bond to the frame is released. While the invention is shown incorporated in a handbag of popular priced type, -it will be understood that it is by no means so limited, but the invention has high utility in any type of framed handbag, in which the body has al stilfener of substantial thickness into which the rigid hollow indentations of the frame become embedded by the frame clenching operation.

The present invention effectively solves a major problem with which the handbag industry has grappled for many years, by insuring the effective retention of the handbag frame upon the edge of the handbag body vfor the life of the article.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many yapparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made Without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted -as illustrative and not in a. limiting sense. K

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new yand desire to secure by `lLetters Patent of the United States is:

1. A ladys handbag comprising a body including exterior fabric, stiiener and liner 'and a metallic frame therefor, said frame being U-shaped in transverse cross section and encompassing the edge of the body and clenched thereto, one side wall of the U-shaped frame being inside the bag, `a plurality of hollow indentations in the metal frame, extending inward from said side of the frame inside the frame and being spaced yat intervals along the length of said frame, said indentations being relatively stii and each having a sharp entry edge penetrating the 4 liner and embedded in thestiifener of the Ibody for rmly anchoring the rim of the body in the clenched frame.

2. A ladys handbag comprising a body consisting of two sections, each having a composite body including an outer fabric ply a stiffener consisting of one or more plies covered by said outer ply and a liner covering the inner face of the stiiener, each section of said body having a rim comprising the edges of the superposed outer .ply, the stiener and the liner, a handbag frame having a sheet steel body, U-shaped in transverse cross section and having two portions extending respectively along the length of the entire top of each section of the handbag and along a substantial portion of the length of each end ofthe handbag, said U-shaped conformation of the frame portions encompassing the superposed edges of the respective body sections, with one side wall of the U-shaped lframe extending `along the inside of the body and the other side wall along the outside, the inside portion of the U-shaped section ofthe frame having hollow substantially rigid indentations extending inwardly at spaced intervals from the -inner face of the U-shaped frame, said frame being clenched about the encompassed edges of the composite body with the rigidk indentations penetrating the liner and embedded in the stiffener, but clear of the outer ply.

3. The combination recited in claim 2 in which the indentations are circular and each has a sharp entry edge.

4. The combination recited in claim 3 in which the indentations are of depth in the order of Mgg inch and of diameter in the order of 3/32 inch.

5. The combination recited in claim 2 in which the indentations are at intervals in the order of Iat least one inch apart along the length of the frame.

6. The combination recited 4in claim 2 in which the frame has a pliable cover extending over substantially the entire exterior and interior wall thereof and the indentations also penetrate the inner pliable cover section.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 479,619 Bettendor-f July 26, 1892 2,202,651 Freidm-an May 28, 1940 2,289,304 Goldsmith July7, 1942 2,556,960 Dion June l2, .1951 2,695,647 Deutsch Nov. 30, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 655,068 France Apr. 15, 1929 969,876 France' Dec. 27, 1950 

